Sheet stacker with stack support positioner



United States Patent SHEET STACKER WITH STACK SUPPORT POSITIONER 4 Claims, 2- Drawing Figs.

11.8. CI. 271/68, 198/35 Int. (1 ...B65g 57/00, B65h 29/68 Field ofSearch 271/68, 87,

86; 214/6G, (Spar); 198/35 [5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,419,266 12/1968 Martin 271/68 Primary ExaminerEdward A. Sroka Attorney-Mason, Fenwick & Lawrence ABSTRACT: A stacking machine in which a stacking conveyor is pivotable about a horizontal axis to vertically adjust the height of the discharge end of the conveyor with respect to a stack of sheets being discharged from the conveyor with a cam connection connecting the means for adjusting the height of the conveyor to a platform support for the stack to consequently position the stack immediately beneath the discharge end of the conveyor in order that the stack will be beneath the discharge end of the conveyor regardless of the height of the discharge end of the conveyor and all sheets will be deposited in vertical alignment.

LSIIEETSTACKER wtrrr STACK SUPPORT POSITIONER BACKGROUND TI'IE'INVENTION This invention is in the field of sheet'feeding and stacking means and is particularly directed to a stacking machine in which the position of the stack is adjusted in accordance with theposition of the discharge conveyor feeding sheets to the stack.

- Many prior known devices have evolved for the purpose of enabling the feeding of corrugated sheets or the like to a stack.

" For example, the deviceshown in German Pat. No. 1,204,145 includes a pivotable conveyor that is pivotable about a f horizontal axis adjacent its inlet end for adjusting the height of the discharge end of the conveyor in accordance with the height of the stack to which the sheets are being fed. This con: veyor is provided with means for extending or retracting the discharge end of the conveyor to vary the length of the conveyor in order that the discharge end of the conveyor will aloriented in vertical alignment.

The present invention represents avast improvement over the prior known devices for the purpose of stacking sheets in that it enables the use of a simplepivotable conveyor in which there is no need for providing means for adjusting the length of the conveyor in the manner of the aforementioned German patentor for providing dual conveyor elevator means in the manner of the aforementioned Britishpatent.

. SUMMARY OF .T HE INVENTION Therefore, it is the primary object of this invention to provide a new and improved sheet stacker.

Obtainment of the object of this invention is enabled through the provisionof a fixed-length stacking conveyor that is pivotable about a horizontal axis adjacent its infeed end for adjusting the height of its discharge end. Rotary means is profvided for adjusting ,the height of the conveyor and a cam and lever connection is connected between'the rotary means and a finovable carriage upon which the sheets are stacked. The

dimensions of the connections are such that the carriage is "moved inexact accordance with the position of the discharge end of the conveyor so that the sheets are consequently deposited in an exact vertical alignment on the carriage.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the preferred embodi- I :ment of this invention; and

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the preferred embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1.

f DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The preferred embodiment of this invention includes first and second frame plates 1 that are connected by transversely extending braces 2, 3 and 4 of substantial dimensions and are also connected by a number of horizontal shafts or rods to be discussed hereinafter. In any event, wheels 5 and '6 are mounted on axles 7 and 8 extending between the two frame plates 1 to provide a movable carriage construction for supporting control and drive means to be discussed.

A pivot shaft 9 extends between frame elements 1 as shown in FIG. 1 and provides a pivotable support for a pivotable sheet stacking conveyor designated 10. Conveyor 10 is of conventional design and is formed with a pair of longitudinal side braces -13 which are pivoted on their right end as 'viewed in FIG.,l to the pivot shaft 9. Conveyor 10 is of conventional belt-type construction in which a plurality of driven feedbelts the arrow F.

l0 (the number depending upon the width of the conveyorl are mounted on and extend between a downstream roller 12 and an upstream roller 9 respectively mounted adjacent the outfeed and infeed ends of the conveyor. The roller 9' is mounted on shaft 9 which is driven by means to be discussed hereinafter in order that the upper flightfof the conveyor will move from right to left in FIG. 1 in the direction indicated by Sheets to be stacked are fed to the infeed end of conveyor 10 by means of a belt-type conveyor '14 which is trainer over pulleys on axle 9 and is also trained over idlerpulleys 15 mounted from a shaft extending between frame plates 1. The infeed conveyor 14 can be of any conventional type and any. I type conveyor that would feed sheets to the conveyor 10 would be satisfactory for this purpose.

A pair of stub shafts 16 extend inwardly from plates 1 in aligned relationship with respect to each other for providing rotary support for a pair of positioning wheels 17 mounted on shafts 16 for rotation. Positioning wheels 17 are chain driven for rotary adjustment in a manner described hereinafter. Additionally, a pair of running wheels 18 are provided on stub shafts 18 extending inwardly from the inside surfaces of the positioning wheels 17. It should be noted that the running wheels 18 are mounted eccentrically with respect to the axis of rotation of positioning wheels 17 so that rotation of positioning wheels 17 will cause the axis of running wheels 18 to traverse the path P illustrated in FIG. 1 of the drawings.

Additionally, cams 19 which are coaxial with the axis of gagement with the cams 19. The lower ends of the pivot lever 20 are pivotally conrrected by pivot bearings 24 to drawbars 25 which are in turn connected to coupling bolts 26 of a stack receiving carriage 45 mounted for. reciprocation on wheels 46 lin an obvious manner. Carriage 45 also includes a plurality of rollers 48 for supporting sheets deposited on the carriage.

Belts can be provided over the rollers if desired.

Additionally, a coil spring 36 is engageable with a fixed foot plate 37 on one end a large washer 36' on the right end of a 1 bias rod 69. Bias rod 69 extends through an aperture in the foot plate 37 and has its left end pivotally connected to the lower end of pivot lever 20 as shown in FIG. 1. Consequently, the biassing force of compression spring36 serves to pivot lever 20 in a counterclockwise direction about axis 22 so that the cam follower rollers 21 engage their respective cams 19. Moreover, it will be obvious that the pivotal movement of the k lever 20 serves to reciprocate the carriage 45 in an obvious Drive to wheels 17 is provided by a combination motor anda gear reducing unit 28 which drives gear wheels 31 keyed to a main drive shaft 30. The main drive shaft 30 is mounted for.

rotation in bearings 29 and has an output drive sprocket 33 attached to each end and from which a drive chain 35 extends in connection with an intermediate sprocket 35' which serves to drive an output sprocket. 32. A chain 34extends from sprocket 32 in driving connection with the wheels 17 so that rotative power from the motor unit 28 serves to rotate wheels 17. Motor 28 etc. is mounted on a base plate 27.

Therefore, it will be seen that rotation of wheels 17 caused. by actuation of motor 28 will serve the dual purpose of posi tioning the conveyor 10 at a desired angle while simultane} ously serving to position the carriage 45. j

The dimensions of lever 20 etc. are such that the discharge end 12 of the conveyor 10 always remains in vertical alignment with a particular given point on carriage 45. Con-' sequently, sheets discharged from the discharge end are always deposited in exact vertical alignment with respect to each other regardless of the angle at which the conveyor l0is oriented at the time of discharge of the respective sheets. vIt should be noted that the conveyor 10 is capable of movement; 7

downwardly from the uppermost position illustrated in FIG. 1 through an intermediate dotted line position to a lower position which is also illustrated with dotted lines. Moreover, reverse rotation of the wheels 17 will serve to pivot the conveyor in a clockwise direction A while rotation of the motor 28 in the opposite direction will pivot the conveyor in a counterclockwise direction 8 as shown.

Additionally, a control bar having an axis 41 is pivotally connected to the frame 1 at 40 on each'side of the conveyor 10. The upper ends of the rods having axis 41 are connected to a support 42 of a stacking guide 43. Lateral displacement of the stacking guide 43 either to the right or left in FIG. 1 is enabled by an adjustment wheel 44 in an obvious manner. Moreover, it should be noted that the parallelogram relationship between axis 41, conveyor 10, support 42 and the protrusion of frame 1 upon which connection 40 is made always results in a vertical orientation of the stacking guide 43. Consequently, sheets conveyed by the conveyor 10 will engage guide 43 prior to deposit in vertical alignment on the carriage 45. Guide 43 always remains above a given point on carriage 45 so that the sheets are deposited in exact vertical array.

Conveyor 10 rest by its own weight on the running wheels 18 so that rotation of the wheels 17 which support the running wheels 18 serves to angularly position conveyor 10. Motor 28 is driven at a speed in accordance with the driving speed of conveyor 10 so that the discharge end of conveyor 10 will move upwardly as the height of a stack of sheets on carriage 45 progresses upwardly. Consequently, all of the sheets will be deposited in aligned array.

Drive for the conveyors 14,10 is provided by a motor-speed reducer unit 38 which is drivingly connected to shaft 9 by a chain 39 in an obvious manner as shown in (FIG. 1.

lclaim:

l. Stacking means comprising frame means, a horizontally extending pivot shaft attached to said frame means, an elongated driven belt conveyor pivotally connected on its infeed end to said pivot means, power driven conveyor adjusting means for adjustably positioning said conveyor about said pivot means for adjusting the vertical height of the downstream end of said conveyor, movable stack supporting means located beneath the downstream end of said conveyor for receiving sheets fed from said conveyor and linkage control means connected between said power driven conveyor adjusting means and said movable stack supporting means for adjusting the position of said movable stack supporting means for maintaining corresponding portions of the downstream end of said conveyor and said stack supporting means in vertical alignment for all vertical positions of the downstream end of said conveyor.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein said power driven conveyor adjusting means includes rotary positioning wheels having eccentric running wheels engageable with the lower side of said conveyor whereby the rotary position of said wheels determinates the vertical height of the downstream end of said conveyor.

3. The invention of claim 2 wherein said linkage control means connecting said stack supporting means to said power driven conveyor adjusting means includes a cam member fixedly connected to said positioning wheels for rotation therewith, a pivot lever having a cam follower intermediate the ends of said pivot lever and engageable with said cam means so as to be moved in timed relationship to said power driven means for adjustably positioning said conveyor and a bias rod connecting said carriage to said pivot lever.

4. The invention of claim 3 additionally including a stacking guide pivotally connected to the downstream end of said conveyor and a control bar connected to said stacking guide and said frame for maintaining said stacking guide in vertical orientation regardless of the orientation of said conveyor. 

